Thousands of handmade poppies blanket Port Perry, Ont. township office for Remembrance Day

A quilt-like installation made of thousands of crocheted poppies has hung over the township office in Port Perry for the past two weeks, with the organizer saying the project was a collective effort to mark Remembrance Day.

Sharon Runnalls, who co-owns a floral shop in Port Perry, spearheaded the effort. She said she got the idea from similar poppy projects in England and wanted to do something in her own community.

“I wanted to do something very large and impactful,” she told CBC Toronto in an interview.  

The poppy banner hangs over the Scugog Township office and is made up of about 8,000 handmade crocheted poppies zip-tied to baseball nets. Runnalls told CBC Toronto she wanted the installation to move in the wind, like a wave.

“Like in nature, when you see them in a field and they’re blowing — that was kind of my vision,” she said.

Runnalls said donated crocheted poppies are still coming in and they’ll be put towards a bigger project for next year. (Sharon Runnalls/Facebook)

The project began four years ago, when Runnalls set up a Remembrance Day display in her floral shop: a dress made of legion-bought poppies, crocheted poppies and hot glue. It became a hit in the community, Runnalls said, so she brought it back every year. 

“This was sort of the start, and everybody would just sort of respond to this in such a positive way that I just felt that people wanted a bigger act of remembrance.”

She approached the township and the legion last year to get the banner project green-lit, and began canvassing crochet and knitting groups for contributions. Word of the project spread quickly, Runnals said, and she exceeded her goal of collecting 7,000 poppies.

The project spread beyond Port Perry.

Runnalls said people from other municipalities, including Uxbridge, Oshawa, Whitby, Toronto and East Gwillimbury, reached out to her asking for yarn or for her to share the crochet patterns. 

She said she received five crocheted poppies from someone in France and about a dozen from England.

“Seniors, young kids, all across generations. The response was huge,” said Runnalls. “I was surprised at how many people actually knit and crochet, and how many groups are out there that I didn’t even know about.”

Runnalls’s first poppy-related project was four years ago, when she made a dress to display in her store for Remembrance Day. She said the response from the community pushed her to try building a bigger installation. (Joe Fiorino/CBC)

The installation is earning attention from not only locals, but those passing through the town. 

Lee Ann Brubacher, from Ottawa, stopped by to see the poppy project while driving through the area and was moved to tears. 

“My father was in the armed forces,” she said. “This is absolutely gorgeous, it’s the most beautiful display I’ve ever seen.”

Trudy Savinsky, from Newmarket, Ont., said that at 91, the display of poppies “brings back memories.” She said she remembers the Second World War and the sacrifices that many families made.

“Every soldier has got a family, nice people who remember them,” she said. “My wish is that it would never happen again, never.” 

Runnalls says this show of respect for Remembrance Day is typical for Port Perry. She said the town goes all out every year, with banners on street lights and displays in storefronts.

“I think everybody understands the significance,” she said. “Taking that time to show that respect is something that a lot of people feel here is very important.”

Runnalls said she’s still receiving donations of crocheted poppies and already has another 1,500 ready. She said they’ll be added to an even bigger installation next year.